Raiders Renewed - RGBW: Caravaneers

[Aidan]

You all venture out into the night, leaving the safe lights of the caravan behind to get a better look at the skull leering out from the rocky ridges of the countryside. As you draw nearer, the skull grows larger, appearing to somehow be carved from the rocks of the ridge it juts from - natural and unnatural, all at once. The lights in the eyes are actually a pair of burning, bowl-like braziers set in recessed holes, and the gaping jaws create a space about... ten feet in diameter, let's say. A space that appears to be a deep cave, or a tunnel, that disappears down into the earth.

Even with your darkvision, you can't tell how deep it goes, both from the depth of the darkness and the twisting nature of the tunnel. The entire skull seems to have been put their deliberately, yet appears far too natural to be the work of any willful creature, with exception to the braziers in the eyes.

[Kokinyu]

Callista continues on, slowing down only enough for the others to catch up and flank- at which point she eases toward the center- enough to keep a good look at the skull.

As we get closer, can Callista try and identify more details about this apparent entryway? Is there a mechanic for her to spot some kind of evidence? Or a way to intuit more about what this is based on what she can see?

[Aidan]

Certainly. I believe that would be an... Insight and Insight check, although if you have an alternative combination that makes sense, that would be fine as well.

[Kokinyu]

Insight, Insight... I can't see how this could be any other attribute, so two ten sided die...

Five and two for a total of Seven. Zut, not enough to use the fun feature.

[Uberwulf X]

Heck, I'll do that too, because it makes sense for the point guy to check. Insight, Insight? Mine should be lower than yours, so-- yep, d6. ...Haha, a nine. I don't know about 'fun features,' but there you go.

So, even as he's looking around, Orion is pretty confused about how nobody really knew about this but, y'know, maybe the dangerous rumbling had to do with that? Did this thing spring up from the ground, or from the side of the cliff? What the heck kind of beast skull is this, y'know? Is there some kind of payout for discovering a dungeon? All of that is running through his mind as he looks about.

[Kyt]

Oh, hai, that sounds like a good idea. Rin would probably be on the lookout for anything to add. It's not my highest, but it's still a d8...ah, two 6's? Isn't that a critical success? Oh, but they don't count for bonuses for helping....So twelve total? So that's another point for Callisto.

Rin is definitely fascinated by the structure, eager to see what might be inside....or what might come out of it. It's their first honest-to-goodness dungeon, and it's right there in front of them.

[Aidan]

Good questions, and good rolls - yes Yuki, that would be a critical success, but since it's a Help action... I think I'll count that as a +2 to Gren's roll; that makes sense to me. So the final total would be a nine.

The skull - which is vaguely lupine in shape, thank you for asking Metzli -is still dusted with fresh dirt and debris, and the ground around it appears freshly disturbed. Aside from the braziers in the eyes, it appears completely natural. If you were to hazard a guess, Callista, it appears as though this was a natural formation that simply... sprung from the ground. Which is not at all how such things occur.

Regarding Ori's inner monologue, you would know that dungeons always contain treasure of some sort that funds adventurers. There are also those who sell maps to dungeon locations, rather than delve themselves, due to the danger involved. The pay doesn't always match what a proper delving crew might uncover, but it's safer.

[Kokinyu]

Callista draws closer to the cave's entrance and peers into the dark.

"So this is how the dungeon makes new entrances... Fascinating. It's definitely skull shaped, and the fact that it looks similar to one of our own neighboring species isn't lost on me. If the dungeon is a willful entity, I wonder if it's calling upon primordial memories, or mimicking the shape of a specimen it collected... Or perhaps it's a convergent attribute, a sort of lupunisation like pseudo crabs..."

This whole time she absently wanders closer, pulling a loosely bound binder and pen from under her wing, poised to tourist her way into the belly of the beast.

Yess, Callista isss that character guysss. No, I will not be apologizing.

[Uberwulf X]

This time, Orion doesn't try to stop or block Callista from moving forward, but he will make sure he's a good three or so feet in front of her, to make sure she doesn't trip or bump into anything as she's lost in taking notes, y'know? "It's weird that this thing showed up with lights in its eyes, but dungeons are gonna dungeon, I guess."

He looks over his shoulder to make sure the others at least look committed to moving forward. At this point there's no real reason to ask, he thinks, they wouldn't've come this far otherwise. So with weapon and shield in hand, he strides forward into the belly-- or in this case, skull-- of the beast.

"Hey Calli, try to also make a map of this place. We don't want to get lost, y'know, and if we can sell some introductory maps to people, that'll help fund this and that."

[Kyt]

Hmm...I am trying to decide whether Rin is that...foolhardy to actually be ok with going in on their own like this...

...I think it's more fun if she is. No voices of reason here!

So hai, she will look eager and follow up behind them. "If we're the first ones, we might not have to go far to find anything. Just try not to do anything that means I have to drag your body back until I can heal you."

[Resonance]

Meison was a bit put off by the giant skull at first, but keeps up with the group as they venture forward. He raises up his shield lantern combo thingy to cast the light a bit further and calls out, “stay inside the light, alright? And no wanderin’ off on yer own, stick close. Don’t know what might be in the dark.”

[Aidan]

I would expect nothing less from one of your characters, Grenadine. Ori, as you quickly take point, you see that the tunnel extending from the cave opening leads deeper inward, sloping downward and curving out of sight. The only light is from your torches, and you can hear nothing from within beyond the occasional crumble of dirt or stone debris.

The tunnel is wide enough to move two abreast, but there's no telling what lay deeper within. From what you understand about delving, turning back to report on this Dungeon location would earn you some gold, but not nearly as much as if you delved it yourself.

So, aspiring delvers - do you proceed deeper?

[Uberwulf X]

Ori's already walking forward, making sure to stay within the light as much as possible. There's a bit of anxious energy, y'know, so he pushes the pace, but doesn't outrun his allies. The reporting and stuff can happen after they've taken their own keep.

[Kyt]

...I do not think I expected this, so I didn't think to ask, but, how common is it to die in these games? *Yuki gives a small chuckle*

Either way, yes, it seems as though we're all just going forward with this. Rin keeps up the back of the group, although she is definitely doing her best to peek around those in front as much as possible.

[Resonance]

I’m stupid *laughs*, I should have done this the whole time. I forgot possums have prehensile tails. Instead of carrying the lantern looped into his shield, Meison curls his tail end through and around the rope loop, holding the lantern aloft. Way better for fighting should something rush out at us.

Anyway, with a light tap of his sword to his shield and a glance at hood companions to gauge how they were feeling, he continues forward as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk